I would buy the accessories for the machine. Sewing feet (generic) are not expensive...shoot, look on ebay and you may find a set of feet/attachments for this specific machine. With the rest of the money, give her a gift certificate for having the machine serviced/cleaned (about 50.00 usually)...then get her a gift certificate to Joann's or another fabric shop (online or local).
The 4530 is an excellent machine..very well built.
Originally Posted by
chiaraquilts
My daughter inherited a Singer 4530 from her MIL, it seems to work ok, but has only one basic foot. She is really getting into sewing and would like a zipper foot, walking foot, etc, to be able to do more. She is on a super tight budget so I thought it would be a good Christmas thing to do. So, my question is, does it make sense to spend money on accessories for this machine or would it make more sense to buy a better but basic machine that has all the feet, etc.? From what I have read, Singer's of this age are not very reliable, and I would hate to have it stop working after buying a bunch of stuff for it...any thoughts? I could spend about 400 dollars for a new machine.